Everton scored the fourth-fastest goal in Premier League history as their revival under David Moyes continued with a resounding 4-0 defeat of Leicester City at Goodison Park.

Abdoulaye Doucoure got them going after just 10 seconds, before Beto doubled Everton’s tally soon after.

The latter then made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time, capitalising on some poor defending by Leicester.

Iliman Ndiaye added further gloss late on as Everton surged above Tottenham Hotspur into 15th place, nine points clear of 17th-placed Leicester.

This was the Toffees' third league win in a row - the first time they have achieved such a run this season.

How the match unfolded

Everton made a dream start as Leicester failed to deal with Jordan Pickford’s long ball, allowing Doucoure to burst into the box and drill home.

The hosts doubled their lead in the sixth minute. Beto, in for the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, exposed the Foxes' high line to latch on to a weighted pass by James Tarkowski and arrow a first-time finish across Mads Hermansen into the bottom-left corner.

Doucoure sliced over and James Garner hit the post before the latter – making his first start since October – sent Beto through on goal with a sublime pass, and the striker duly tucked in his second, with Leicester’s defence once again caught cold.

With the hard work done, Everton kept Leicester at arm’s length after the restart, though Jesper Lindstrom should have done better when he struck at Hermansen from close range.

Ndiaye, though, made no such mistake in the 90th minute, finishing calmly after pouncing on a mix-up in the Leicester defence, capping off an ideal day for the hosts.

Moyes working his magic

Everton were forced to dig deep to grind out three points against Brighton last week, but this was a far more assured performance, aided by two rapid goals.

Doucoure and Beto’s goals inside the first six minutes marked the earliest the Toffees had scored two goals in a Premier League match.

Unlike in their last home match, when they were made to hold on to claim a 3-2 win over Spurs, Everton never looked likely to slip up as they aimed to further ease any relegation concerns.

Moyes was forced to reshuffle his pack, due to the injuries Calvert-Lewin and Orel Mangala sustained at Brighton, but he will be delighted with the performances from their replacements.

Beto is, as it stands, Everton’s only fit striker, but he proved a handful through his endeavour and took both of his goals confidently.

Garner, meanwhile, turned in an all-action midfield display. He hassled and pressed out of possession, but showed plenty of class on the ball, including a superb assist for Everton’s third goal.

It has been an excellent start for Moyes in his second stint in charge, having now won three of his four matches. Next up is an FA Cup tie against Bournemouth, before Everton return to Premier League action against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby.

Foxes have reason to fear

Ruud van Nistelrooy would have been looking for his team to pick up momentum after their impressive 2-1 comeback win over Tottenham last week, but those hopes were extinguished within the opening minutes, as Leicester found themselves on the backfoot from the get-go.

Defensively, the Foxes were badly lacking. They set the tone for Doucoure’s opener, with Boubakary Soumare failing to deal with Pickford’s punt, and the centre-backs behind him allowing Doucoure the freedom of the penalty area.

It did not get any better in the first half – both of Beto’s goals came from simple runs in behind a high line.
Bilal El Khannouss, so integral to the win at Spurs, was starved of opportunities, while Jamie Vardy had just nine touches before he was taken off on the hour.

Leicester's workmanlike midfield were distinctly second-best throughout and their struggles in progressing the ball up the pitch meant it took them until the 73rd minute to register their only shot on target, with Pickford saving easily from Patson Daka.

Van Nistelrooy will hope for better fortunes in the FA Cup, when he returns to face his old club Manchester United, having enjoyed a spell as interim manager at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Club reports

Everton report | Leicester report

Match officials

Referee: Darren Bond. Assistants: Scott Ledger, Mat Wilkes. Fourth official: Andrew Kitchen. VAR: Stuart Attwell. Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis.